Moonlight
by FireApe
Summary: Toph and Sokka share a moment after an ambush. One-shot for Tokka week.


**A/N: Just a little one-shot for Tokka week. This was the only prompt I had an idea for. Rated T for some mild gore, violence and death.**

**

* * *

**

The moonlight was beautiful.

The pale light of the full moon seemed to bring life to everything it touched. The leaves on the trees seemed to glow with their own inner light as they danced in a soft nighttime breeze. The gentle ripples of a nearby pond played with the light and seemed to enticingly mimic the glittering of the stars. Even the grass, so plain during the daytime, had been transformed by the beauty and purity of the moonlight. Rocks and boulders seemed alive as the glowing light mingled with contrasting shadow, creating new and interesting shapes as the moon traveled across the night sky. The faces of the bodies strewn over the campsite were thrown in sharp relief and the bright moonlight twinkled in their open, glassy eyes, giving the illusion of life. The dark, sticky liquid that clung to them and seeped onto the ground shimmered innocently.

The only two figures still drawing breath from the cool night air were just outside of the makeshift campsite. Toph was on her knees, hovering over the shuddering body of Sokka.

"It's gonna be okay," she kept saying. Both of her hands were pressed down on the larger hands of the warrior from the Southern Water Tribe. His hands were pressed against a hole in his gut, trying to stop the flow of blood as it oozed sickeningly through his fingers.

He hadn't anticipated an ambush as the two of them traveled along the road to the Fire Nation capital. He hadn't foreseen the eight men jumping seemingly out of nowhere once they had gotten settled for the night. The two of them, even being caught off-guard, had made easy work of the first five and took care of them in their own ways, Sokka with his sword and Toph with her earthbending. They had each been locked in combat and were both delivering finishing blows to their opponents when it happened. He hadn't seen the eighth come up from behind. Hadn't seen the sword until it had already passed through his flesh and appeared, glistening with his blood, protruding out of his stomach just above his navel. He hadn't seen the face of the man behind him as the sword was yanked violently from his body and he was then met with Toph's rage. Sokka had fallen to his knees, shaking hands clutching the wound, and so hadn't seen exactly how the attacker had met his fate. He hadn't seen any of it coming.

He was now lying on the ground, eyes half open, as he came to terms with what had happened. What was going to happen. At least Toph was safe and unharmed, aside from the few scrapes and bruises she had acquired throughout the fight. Sokka was just glad that Toph was blind; at least she didn't have to see how bad the wound really was.

"You're gonna be okay," she kept saying, the fear evident in her voice. "There's gotta be a town nearby and they'll have healers who can fix this. It's not so bad, right?"

Sokka chuckled, wincing as the effort sent a series of painful jabs throughout his abdomen. "Yeah… just a scratch," he said hoarsely. He couldn't let her know how bad it was. He couldn't let her know how cold he was getting or how difficult it was becoming to draw breath. She would worry. He didn't want her to worry, so he wouldn't tell her how bad it was.

Toph nodded, tears welling up in her eyes. "Just a scratch," she agreed numbly. "You've been in worse scrapes than this before, you'll pull through. You just watch, it'll be okay." However, she could feel the blood on her hands and knew it was not okay. She could sense his heartbeat, irregular and getting slower, and knew it was not okay. She could hear his ragged breathing as he tried to take steady breaths to prove he was fine, and knew it was not okay. But she didn't want him to worry, so she wouldn't tell him it was not okay.

Sokka gave a miniscule nod at her assessment. She was trying so hard to be brave; trying to make everything seem like it would be okay. The moonlight caught the tears as they fell from her eyes, one after the other, like little shining jewels falling from the heavens. She seemed to him like an angel, bathed in the glowing light of the moon; a beautiful spirit sent to him so he wouldn't have to spend his last moments in bleak darkness.

"I think…" he said softly, voice barely audible. "I think I might… take a nap. Save… strength for… tomorrow."

Toph's eyes squeezed shut and more tears fell. She wanted to deny him sleep. She knew what it would mean. But she couldn't. She couldn't save him, she knew that, so there was no point in keeping him awake if he was tired. No point in holding on to him for selfish reasons. "Yeah, that's a good idea. Y-" she choked back a sob. "You'll need all your strength for when we go see that healer," she told him. She couldn't even pretend to smile at this point.

Sokka nodded slowly. She knew. He could tell. He was just glad that she wasn't being hysterical. But Toph had never been one for theatrics. Even in the face of danger she was always cool and collected. Even now she was being strong. That's why he had always liked her. That's why he loved her.

He watched as tears continued to fall from her cheeks in a steady stream. The little droplets landed on their hands, still together trying to slow the flow of blood. "Don't…" he said quietly, not wanting to see her in so much pain. "It doesn't even… hurt…" he reassured her.

Toph nodded bravely. "That's 'cause it's just a scratch. Scratches don't hurt," she told him.

Sokka smiled softly. Such a trooper, she was. "You're right," he agreed. His breath caught audibly in his throat and he started to struggle for air. He felt Toph tense up next to him. "Toph," he said, a sense of urgency in his voice.

She felt his heart start to flutter and heard his breathing get heavier. She almost didn't hear when he said her name. "What is it?" she asked painfully, knowing that this was it.

"Look… at me…" he asked of her. Her eyes had always been so beautiful and now, as she turned her blind gaze toward him, he saw that they were even more stunning than he had ever realized. He looked into her eyes and could tell that she was trying so hard to see him as well. Their eyes locked onto each other perfectly for the first time, dark blue meeting milky green. "Toph," he said, gasping, trying hard to make himself audible. "Toph, I… I lo…"

Silence.

Toph tried to contain her sobs, irrationally waiting for him to finish the sentence even though she no longer felt a heartbeat. When no sound came, she let her tears fall freely as sobs shook her body. After a few minutes, she was able to speak. "I love you too, Sokka," she told him, leaning forward and placing a soft kiss on his still lips.

The moonlight was beautiful.


End file.
